Varina High School student killed in Henrico shooting

HENRICO, VA (WWBT) - An 18-year-old Varina High School student has been identified as the person who died after a shooting Thursday night in the intersection of Futura and Westover avenues.

Police say that Kivonte Laquan Sessoms died after being transported to VCU Medical Center around 9 p.m.

"He was his own strong confident person," said Jeremiah Rhodes, a student at Varina High School. "He was funny, he kept everybody up, kept, everybody going."

There was an outpouring on social media Friday. Friends and loved ones were in shock over losing someone so young. A woman, who lives in the neighborhood where the shooting took place, watched the situation unfold from her. It's something she says she continues to think about.

"It was actually really devastating. Once I found out his age, it's just terrible," the woman explained. "He's 18, [and] like I said, he was supposed to graduate. His life was taken too soon."

The shooting happened just minutes away from Varina High School. Students say Sessoms' loss was felt throughout the school Friday.

"A lot of my friends that were close with him, been keeping to themselves, crying," explained Rhodes. "We've all been trying to keep each other up, help each other out, but it's been kind of hard."

Police boosted their presence at Varina High School Friday. In a letter to parents, school officials said there was an increased police presence at Varina due to "an unfortunate incident that took place last night involving a student." Administrators also tried to support Sessoms' classmates struggling with his death by having "additional support personnel on hand for any students or staff who need someone to talk to."

The crime remains under investigation, and anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.